


defining love

by katotastic000



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), M/M, Obliviousness, ishimondo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2020-10-21 08:30:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20690537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katotastic000/pseuds/katotastic000
Summary: Kiyotaka Ishimaru falls in love. And that's easier said than done. To be honest, it's not even close tosaid, mainly because Kiyotaka himself isn't aware of it.He's not that oblivious to not notice that there's something going on and he is clever enough to connect thissomethingto the cause of thesomething, his best friend and soul brother Mondo Owada, but perfectly fails at specifying it.And so, Kiyotaka comes up with a neat, little plan that (hopefully) will result in a clear definition of his feelings while the background, their shared years in Hope's Peak Academy slowly come to an end.





	1. what is love? i don't know but definitely not my feelings for my best friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to my first try at a fanfiction with multiple chapters for years!
> 
> I've grown quite familiar with writing one-shots and thinking up ideas for longer stories that I quickly set aside and recently I felt like I could start something new and challenging and after some planning (that still needs some of my time), this here is the end result.  
Though I'm super exited to write the end of this story, I can't promise anything regarding frequent updates (given I have hooked you enough for you to want me to keep going).  
Speaking of readers, to all of you out there who stumbled onto this thing: Feedback is always welcome! Language correction is always welcome (English is _not_ my first language, I just love it too much not to write in it!), everything that might help me is welcome!  
Thanks in advance!
> 
> Now, that everything is said that should be said, please enjoy.

There was nothing great about August 30th in general. It was like any other day in the life of humanity and just another day in the life of Kiyotaka Ishimaru. Maybe it was a bit happier than most ones. It was almost his birthday and the start of a new schoolyear (which he valued more) was just a good night's sleep away. But _this _August 30th held quite a special event that usually happens rarely in life. This certain event, let's call it "falling in love" for now, often sets many things in motion and is most importantly very, _very_ confusing. This applies especially to those by which this event passes unnoticed...

A loud and passionate "kyoudai!" echoed through the main hall of Hope's Peak Academy. A such as loud "Hey, kyou-" rang back and was muted by the speaker/screamer almost getting tackled to the ground. Due to the fact that Kiyotaka refused to run on school premises, he developed an efficient way of walking that sent Mondo stumbling a step backwards when he suddenly leapt into his arms with full speed.

They kept their embrace a second too long to call it "friendship" and a second too short to call it something more, but their grins were just as warm. "Hey, man, good to see you." Mondo ruffled his friend's spiky hair. This had become a daily interaction on the first day of their friendship and has been ever since. "I'm happy to see you, too, kyoudai!", Taka replied, beaming.

It was not like they hadn't seen each other during summer break and were now thirsty for their significant brother. To separate them for longer than, like, two weeks max, violence was needed.

At first, Taka had actually been reluctant about going home. He claimed that if he went, he would force his father to spend his little money on him. Mondo's best argument had been "He's your _dad_, dumbass, 'course you go" and stuffing Taka's belonging in his suitcase and thereby force Taka to shriek "_What on earth are you doing?_" and make him to do it himself.

"So?", Mondo asked while shouldering Taka's leather bag. "Was your old man pissed that you came home?" "Um, no", Taka answered and sounded as surprised as he was when his father opened the door to their apartment before he even had the chance to knock. Takaaki's smile had been not as wearily as it normally was. Taka grabbed his suitcase. "I suppose he was glad I visited." Mondo threw an arm around Ishimaru's shoulder and they headed towards the dormitory. "See? Told ya."

Without warning, Mondo slapped Taka's chest as he would slap his own forehead. "Right, Chihiro said that he'll be coming later, had to pick up some, uh... I dunno what it does but it's super high-tech and rare." Taka nodded approvingly. "Ah, I see, then I'll have enough time to unpack!" Mondo knitted his brows and said, "It won't take that long, dude." Taka puffed amusedly in response. "With your method of unpacking, yes, but I'm reminding you that a student's dormitory is also their workplace which should be kept organized at all times." Judging Mondo's tone, he took that as a personal offense, "Hey, _I_ know where my stuff! That's artistic chaos!" "I highly doubt that", was the plain and stern reply.

Mondo sighed. "Man, when we get an apartment, you prolly have to take care of everything." Ishimaru simply shrugged and said, "Ah, that's fine with me." Taka went to put an arm around Mondo's waist (he was a few inches too short to reach his shoulder) but a blurted out "Huh?" stopped him mid-movement. Mondo had been expecting something that had more resemblance to "What are you thinking there?", not something spoken as softly as this.

"Hm, what's the matter, kyoudai? Did I say something wrong?" Ishimaru looked up to him, looking a little lost. "Uh, no, I was just...", Mondo stammered but was able to talk more calmly after Taka finally had his arm around him. "Have we ever talked about, like, getting an apartment?" Kiyotaka thought for a moment under Owada's gaze revealing an emotion Taka would never have identified and then shook his head. "No, not that I remember. I have merely assumed that this would be how we spend our future." _Our_ future? Mondo's face was suddenly red and warm.

"I'm serious, kyoudai! I have presumed this ever since we forged our bond and though I would describe myself as realistic, I often caught myself imagining what this future might look like. Do you want to hear it?" "Sure", Mondo smirked.

Taka started flooding him with words, something about "just outside a city" and dogs. It also contained detailed description of neighbors and a rented garage to store Mondo's precious bike and a place for him to put up a workshop of his own. Mondo listened in silence. Taka wasn't the one to babble, he usually said what was necessary (and maybe dumped a ton of fulsome expressions on it) and backed his every spoken word, however what made Mondo feel like he was tumbling down stairs made out of cotton candy was the unforeseeable end to his speech and the nice thought in the back of his head that made him remember that Taka was now talking one hundred percent sincerely.

"...don't you worry about chaos, I'll gladly handle laundry and so on but help is certainly appreciated and- oh!" Taka was tugged into a hug. The suitcase landed on the floor with a heavy "clack!" There was a short breath on his cheek. "Oh, sorry 'bout that." Mondo would've backed off a bit to speak if Ishimaru didn't serve as a plier around him; that was his natural reaction to any motion on his friend's side that suggested an embrace. Kiyotaka was strong though his appearance gave a rather different impression and Mondo had no choice but to finish what he had started.

"Like, I always thought you'd go to college and want to be left alone with your studies and stuff." He shrugged as much as possible. "And I mean, maybe you'll - or _I_, dunno - have to move to the other end of Japan, who knows." He let go as far as Taka let him. "But if you really want that as much as me... that's nice to hear." He smiled. Openly and honestly, meaning what he said, not seeming like he would care if everyone on earth listened and only showing it to Taka.

_This heart rate is not average._ The amount of blood in his cheeks wasn't either. There was something unusual going on inside Ishimaru and he wasn't capable of defining it and that made him nervous. Everything did right now. His hands were sweaty. What was it that caused this kind of... emotional impulse (phrased much to rational for this hand blending-one's-brain-situation)? Mondo smiled at him and yes, that's nice to see and yet a day-to-day sight. Well, he did look exceptionally (_What was the word that is commonly used for illustrating this? Is it 'sweet'?_) and his words were even sweeter (_Yes, that sounds about right._) Taka would have paid good money to hear them once again for the first time and this time, he would have known how to properly answer for sure.

"Hey, kyoudai?" Mondo snapped his fingers and Taka jerked. "You okay?" It took Ishimaru a second to react. His voice was a little hoarse without any sort of reason. "Y-Yes, I am, my apologies." "Don't be sorry, dude. Here." Mondo held out the suitcase he had picked up. He had his arm around Taka's shoulder not a moment later. However, Taka didn't put his own around Mondo's waist again. Instead he pulled at his wrist and they walked a bit closer. Mondo chuckled. "Missed ya, too."

_Yes, I have missed you a lot. But this is something entirely different._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congrats, you made it! How was it, anything that struck you as weird? Or maybe there was a passage you really liked? Let me now!  
Thanks for reading!


	2. it is up to debate to call this a clever plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is, the next chapter!
> 
> Sorry that I've been gone for a month, I wasn't at home for three weeks and I didn't have stuff to write on except paper or my smartphone which I'm not a very big fan of.
> 
> Anyway, it was nice to see that people actually want to see more of this and I'm not just posting stuff into the void!
> 
> As always, feedback is welcome. Enjoy!

Ishimaru had unpacked and it looked all neat and tidy, he had greeted Chihiro and they had much to share but now that everyone had gone back to their, he was alone with his thoughts - and feelings which made everything more complex.

Kiyotaka was staring down at his desk, his hands laid out flat beside one of his spare notebooks, pages still blank. He was sure that _that_ what he had experienced hours ago (and what still stalked him) was something completely new. He had kept himself concentrated - a more fitting word would be sane \- all these hours by assuring himself that there had to be an explanation for this, like everything has.

Everything had a cause. Emotions were solely based on stimuli and reactions, as cold as it sounded. According to this schema, there was no reason for something so perceptible to appear out of the blue. In conclusion, this unidentified emotional sensation was triggered by something in the environment of the situation. With this sequence as support, Taka had decided to analyse the expression of this unidentified emotional sensation and correlate it to the given circumstances.

The scratching of pen on paper and the occasional hm was the only noise in the room.

The best way to start was to name his observations. What Ishimaru had noticed first was his heart. It had beaten so fast and eagerly that its echo had rung in his throat. He had been warm, his face especially, gleaming and radiating heat. He wondered if Mondo had felt that. His face did it again, a lot lighter this time fortunately. His hands had also been sweaty for a reason he could not think of.

This could mean anything. His head spat out exertion which made small but in this situation, zero sense, so Taka moved on. Joy? Well, of course. Every day with Mondo was pure delight, what could make this day so special that he-

Oh. That could be it. Taka quickly noted his thought. He set the tip of the pen on his notebook again but he wasn't capable of writing anymore. His eyes were tied to the three words he just had written, the ink was still to dry. To see them there, in front of him and clear... it made him blush a little.

Stay with him.

As he had told Mondo, it was a natural assumption. They spent their high school life (it felt like longer than it was in actuality) together but that was not enough for him. First, they would both graduate. Kiyotaka would do better than his friend, as he always did and will do in academic matters, but Mondo would make it. He would make it well with Taka's help that was also part of the plan.

They'd move together, obviously. Taka would attend college, Mondo would begin working as a carpenter. This would take some years of their life. He'd then start climbing to political higher-ups, time would pass during which they'd do well together, he would become Prime Minister if everything worked out and he worked hard enough and time would keep passing after all.

Now that Taka thought about it, at some point his life would stop evolving. There was nothing in the middle of the road after he'd crossed out all of his list that was his red string of life. There was Mondo walking by his side, fair enough, but the rest was the wait for the grade after handing in an exam.

This was his plan... but he decided that it was a bad one.

Mondo had a life of his own, he now realized. He had agreed on the plan but he also had a heart of his own. There was no guarantee that Mondo's focus would stay on him forever. It would wander off. To other people, better men and to beautiful women he could sell his love to. He would not leave Taka behind - he was not a bad friend, not at all - he would only leave him on his own.

_Am I... jealous? Or afraid?_

Why was he so scared of being alone all of a sudden? Kiyotaka Ishimaru grew up in loneliness, he lived in loneliness for years - he was used to it. More than fifteen years of his existence, he had lacked friends and the skill to make them. His chest tightened at those grey memories. He understood how much he owed to Mondo.

Taka shook his head. This was not the time to drown in his past, it was time to think about their future. _I am_ not _afraid_. He underlined the three words, Stay with him. This was what he himself wanted, what Mondo wanted was up to him to figure out.

Kiyotaka picked up his pen once again and wrote, In conclusion He did not write anything afterwards because his brain was empty. He might have determinded his near future yet he did not manage to figure out what kept him awake until now: the unidentified emotional sensation.

_This is futile_, he decided. His head and heart were pounding with too much energy. Taka needed answers. He needed to solve this crisis or else he would never ever find sleep again. He needed a plan and the only resource he was in possesion of was his sequence: Everything had a cause.

Taka sighed, rubbed his eyes and nodded firmly. Okay, I can figure this out. He reviewed his notes.

That reviewing quickly turned into senseless reading; he was tired. He pressed his thumb onto the closed top of his pen until he was attentive and retried.

Futile - pen. Senseless - pen. Tired - pen. He gave up.

What he required was more material, more observations, more of these _goshdarned_ stressing unidentified emotional sensations.

Taka froze. _This is a start_, he thought, satisfaction lighting up his face. He straightened his back and opened his pen once again.

20 observations, note three of most important stimuli and symptoms, highlight similarities, what does Mondo have to do with it?

Out of all that went through his head that evening, he believed this was the one thought that helped him out the most. It wasn't very comforting, no, but he felt like he had achieved something.

Kiyotaka now had a plan.

Was it a good one? That was to be seen.


End file.
